Humidifier.



D. VAN EVERA.

v HUMIDIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9. 1916.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

DEWITT VAN"EVERA, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HUMIDIFIER.

Specification or Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 112, T916.

Application filed February 9, 1916. Serial No. 77,141.

To all whom it may concern a Be it known that T, DEWITT VAN EVERA,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Humidifiers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to humidifiers and has especial reference todevices of this character for use with hot air furnaces.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a humidifier, orvapor'pan, to be placed within the jacket of a hot air furnace so as tomoisten or humidify the air that is heated by'the furnace and deliveredto the pipes to be conveyed to remote areas to be heated, and means,operable from without the furnace jacket to regulate the heat applied tothe water within the pan whereby to vary the quantity of water to beevaporated within a given time without changing or modifying the heatproduced by the furnace.

Another, and more specific object of my invention is to provide adead-air space below the water-containing vapor pan to reduce the effectof the heat from the furnace on the water within the pan and openings,within the walls surrounding said air space, whereby to admit heated airfrom the furnace, directly under the bottom of the pan,

or to shut it off, to intensify or reduce the 1 effect of the heat onthe water, to evaporate a larger or smaller quantity with a givenfurnace temperature, and means to close the openings to provide thedead-air space.

Other and further objects of my invention will become readily apparent,to persons skilled in the art, from a consideration of the followingdescription when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein Figure,1 is w an elevation of a furnace, showing parts in section, with myhumidifier applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged View of the bottomwall of the pan-supporting casing showing the dampers applied thereto.

In both views the same reference characters are employed to indicatesimilar parts. 5 is a furnace, of the usual construction, provided witha radiator 6, comprising a central dome 7 and an annular hollow drum 8,joined, as at 9, as usual in furnaces of this general character.

10 is the flue opening through which the gases escape from the furnace-5 and 11 is the usual fuel door and 12 the ash door and damper.

13-13 are the pipes by which the hot air is conducted to remote areas tobe heated, and 15 is the outside \jacket of the furnace.

16 is the vapor-pan centrally located and preferably supportedimmediately above the central dome 7, having a bottom 17 and an annularextending peripheral rabbet 18. It is connected with a float tank 19, onthe outside of the furnace, by means of a pipe '20.

The tank 19 contains a float 21 which con- I trols a Water inlet valve22 which opens and closes the water supply pipe 23 as the float 21 islowered or raised by the water 2-1 within the tank. An overflow pipe 25extends through the tank 19 and terminates in a plane at which the levelof the water 27 is to be maintained. The constancy of head or level ofwater may always be maintained in the vapor pan by this means. The vaporpan 16 sets upon a hollow structure or casing' 29 that immediatelysupports the pan.

and which is intermediate the pan and the central dome 7. The structure29 is providedwith a bottom wall 30 having a series of ports or openings31 and annular side walls 32 having openings 33. The upper edge of theannular wall of the structure 29 is located within the rabbet 18 of thevapor pan, so as to hold the pan centrally and firmly in place. Thestructure 29 is also provided with four legs 35. A series of dampers 36are adapted to overlie the openings 31 in the bottom of the structure 29and another series of dampers 40 are adapted to close the openings 33in" the annular wall 32 of the structure 29. A damper rod 41 isconnected to the dampers 36 and 4.0 and extends to the outside of thefurnace jacket, as

at 42. When all of the dampers are closed there is a dead-air space 43within the structure 29 so as to decrease the eflect of the heat uponthe bottom 17 of the vapor pan 16, or to insulate the pan to some extentfrom the direct rays of the heat emanating from the dome. Now when thedampers are opened, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. ,2, the hot airgfrom the central dome will pass up through the openings 31, in thebottom of the structure 29, making contact with the bottom 17 of thevapor pan and will pass out through the openings 33 in the side walls ofthe structure 29, thereby creating a draft of hot air through theotherwise closeddeadair space 43 and increasing the effect of the heatupon the Water 27 contained in the vapor pan, thereby controlling theamount of vapor evolved from the Water 27, or the temperature of theWater, from the outside of the furnace without changing the condition ofthe heat within the furnace.

When too muchwater is being evapo- 16 thereby insulating the pan to someextent from the effect of the heat emanating from the dome. When alarger quantity of water is to be evaporated, the dampers are opened,

causing a draft of hot air from immediately below the structure to passthrough the structure and make contact with the bottom of the panthereby evaporating a greater quantity of water. This effect may bemodified to suit the convenience of the user by opening or closing thedampers to a greater or less extent.

In situations where a constant supply of Water is not maintained as incities, the supply pipe 23 may be lead to a relatively large receptacle,such as a barrel, tank or the like, through which Water may be suppliedautomatically to the vapor pan 16, through the instrumentality of thefloat 21 in the relatively smaller tank 19. In this event the largertank, or source of water supply, may be located above the tank 19 sothat the water will flow thereinto through the pipe 23 by the effect ofgravity.

The pan 16 and the structure 29 are preferably'made of cast iron, so asto avoid possibility of leak or other deleterious efi'ect due to thechange in temperature and the effect of water upon the metal in which itis contained.

Having described my invention, What I claim is:

A humidifier for a furnace comprising a water holding pan; a casinginterposed between the furnace and pan and having perforate bottom andside walls; closures for said perforations and connecting means foroperating said closures extending to with out the furnace.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

DEWITT VAN EVERA. In the presence of Foniin BAIN, MARY F. ALLEN.

